The Red Scarf
by wingsofjusice
Summary: The first Sakura wore the red scarf, she was 12 years old and heartbroken. SasuSaku


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The first Sakura wore the red scarf, she was 12 years old and heartbroken.

Waking up on a bench feeling disoriented with foggy memories of what happened last night made her forget about the dull ache at the back of her neck. When she had run to the rest of her friends to indeed make sure that the conversation she had last night was true, the dried tear streaks on her face were washed over by brand new tears.

This was the first time she had ever experienced true heartbreak, and Sakura wasn't sure if she would ever be able to even smile again. With all this on her mind, it was Ino who brought to her attention the back of her neck was starting to look slightly bluish, a nasty bruise on its way.

Not knowing Medical Jutsu at the time, Sakura rummaged through her closet until she came across a red scarf, brand new, never been worn. Wrapping the scarf around the physical proof of her heartache, Sakura brought the end of the scarf to her face, and cried once again, in the solitude of her darkening room.

When her mother asked her at dinner that night why in the world she was wearing a scarf in the summer, Sakura only mumbled that she had caught a light case of spring fever.

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The second time Sakura wore the red scarf, she was 16 years old and shattered.

It was after Team Seven's 'lovely' reunion, where Sakura had failed, once again, to stop the boy she loved from sinking even farther into the darkness. Kunai poised at a fatal spot on his back, all of Sakura's superhuman will dissipated, as she watched her Sasuke-kun breathe in and out.

She didn't protest as his hand wound its way around her neck, and lifted her, blocking any precious oxygen to enter her desperate lungs. She didn't kick, punch, scratch, or even make a sound as he lifted the Kunai she had planned on using to end _his_ life. Instead, she waited, almost patiently, as his fingers tightened around her fragile neck, and he brought the Kunai down.

The kunai never drew her blood, but that night in her tent, she looked in a small mirror to see that Sasuke-kun's fingers had left long bruises on her neck. She knew Medical Jutsu this time, and the bruises were gone in a few moments. But no matter how much warm chakra she pumped into her neck, she couldn't get rid of the ice cold feeling of his fingers from her neck. So she rummaged through her bag, and found the scarf that she brought with her on a whim. This is the second time she has worn this scarf, and this time she wears it in hope to bring warmth into her shattering, chaotic world.

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The third time Sakura wore the red scarf, she was 17 years old and confused.

The Fourth Great Shinobi was over and done with, and _Sasuke-kun_ had been back for a year now. Sakura hid the overwhelming sense awkwardness of being near him under kindness as she helped her friend bring light back into his world, where shadows and monsters chased away any source of hope or happiness.

She was happy for him, she was happy that he was finally back on the right path and that ahead of him lay a (hopefully) bright future. She was glad, that all those years of unconditional love wasn't _completely_ wasted, and was even considering of setting her friend up on a date with that obnoxious redhead who was very clearly in love with him.

She was thinking about this as she walked with him to her apartment. They had formed a strange routine of Sasuke waiting outside the hospital for her, and then walking her home, no matter what the time (and Sakura sometimes pulled shifts at very strange times, like four in the morning). She didn't know why exactly he did this, and was quite surprised the first time she found the stoic Uchiha standing outside the hospital, slouched, hands deep in his pocket. Knowing that she would never be able to decipher Sasuke-kun's strange motions, she forgot about it and just went with it.

Sakura was about to open her mouth and propose the idea of Sasuke-kun asking Karin out on a date when she cut short by the Uchiha suddenly stopping and staring at her. Wondering what was wrong, she once again opened her mouth but all the words she had planned on saying died in her throat when Sasuke-kun's hand, warm and shy, touched the base of her neck. Her eyes widened as he stroked his thumb on the very spot a year ago had been in hold, squeezing the very life out of her.

Both of them stood there, motionless except for the gentle strokes of Sasuke-kun's thumb. The moment passed by quickly and Sasuke-kun quickly retreated his hand back into the sanctuary of his pocket. Sakura realized she was blushing only when she saw the back of Sasuke-kun's neck red as the tomato's he oh so loved.

Mumbling a goodnight, Sasuke-kun turned on his heel and left a bewildered Sakura outside her apartment. Lying in her bed, Sakura touched the spot where Sasuke-kun's hand was. A giddy giggle escaped her mouth, and not wanting the warmth of his touch to fade, Sakura took out the red scarf and wrapped it tightly around her neck. And so, Sakura lay in her bed all night, trying to figure out what exactly Sasuke-kun's action meant, and relishing in the warmth of his hand now preserved by the red scarf.

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The last time Sakura wore the red scarf, she was 19 years old and the happiest girl in the world.

Still wet from her shower, Sakura stood in her towel in front of the mirror in the bathroom, as she examined her neck. There was a red mark on her neck, the irritated skin slightly puffed up, the red skin in an unmistakable pattern of a bite mark.

A bite mark she just so happened to have received from Sasuke-kun last night.

Her examination was cut short when an impatient Uchiha opened the door and pulled her back into the bedroom by the waist.

_Later_, when Sakura finally managed to convince Sasuke-kun she had to get ready and go to the hospital for her shift, she fingered the mark on her neck again. She knew Medical Jutsu, and this extremely minor injury could be healed in a matter of a few seconds. But Sakura didn't want this mark to fade, not yet that is, because she knew this was Sasuke-kun's way of marking her as his.

So, she took out the red scarf, and for the last time, wrapped it around her neck.

_**A/N:**_** Yay, fluff! Just a cute one-shot idea I had.**


End file.
